A charming, colorful, and hopeful tale of patience and change.
Kueng presents an illustrated children’s story of friendship, told through the eyes of a lovable dog.
After dalmatian Luna moves to a new home, she finds herself missing the pigeons that would sing outside her window where she used to live. She steps outside into her new yard, hoping to make some new friends. She happens upon a caterpillar and is determined to become her pal, but when she returns the next day, she discovers something strange where the caterpillar used to be. Heidi Hummingbird swoops down and hints at the important transformation that’s taking place inside what Luna learns is a cocoon. The dog’s curious, innocent response to the mystery of metamorphosis effectively captures the curiosity of a child, and young readers will find her reactions relatable and funny. Lopes’ colorful, endearing illustrations bring a sense of whimsy and magic to this story of friendship and nature. When Luna finally meets Lily, who’s now a butterfly, the joy and wonder of making new friends shines through; however, this book also sneaks in a science lesson about the life cycle of a butterfly, clearly illustrated for easy comprehension. The story moves along with steady dialogue, although the simple, sometimes formal language doesn’t always match the playfulness of the images. Still, the way that Luna explores her backyard, searching for connection, offers a lovely example of what can happen when one slows down and mindfully takes notice of the details of the natural world. Kueng's book also offers a subtle lesson about waiting patiently for friendship to blossom—a heartwarming message for kids and caregivers alike. Children will walk away from this book looking forward to wonderful discoveries of their own, just as Luna wonders, “Could today be the day?”
A charming, colorful, and hopeful tale of patience and change.Pub Date: March 27, 2024
ISBN: 9781779440600
Page Count: 34
Publisher: Miriam Laundry Publishing
Review Posted Online: Oct. 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among
Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude.
If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. The “me” mentioned in the lyrics changes from day to day and gift to gift, with “4 far-out surfboards” (a frog), “5 onion rings” (crocodile), and “6 skateboards rolling” (a yellow bird that shares its skateboards with the white cat, the squirrel, the frog, and the crocodile while Pete drives on). Gifts and animals pile on until the microbus finally arrives at the seaside and readers are told yet again that it’s all “GROOVY!”
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-267527-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...
Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.
The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 21, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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